1. PRACTICAL ENLIGHTENMENT The Cosmic Principles that lead to an enlightened perspective The power of choice and responsibility By Ross Bannister Todd © 2009

2. 11-24-08

3. Do you feel empowered when you blame what just happened or how you feel on another, a situation or thing?

4. If you blame how you feel on someone Can you change how you feel or do you have to wait till they do something?

5. BLAME MAKES YOU POWERLESS As soon as you blame how you feel on another you are stuck with it, since you decided they did it to you, You can’t change it until they do something

6. Blame is pretending you are not responsible for your life, for what you do, who you are or what have/don’t have. Blame is pretending you do not have power and authority “control” over what you do, think, say, or the decisions you make.

7. Probably the root of this is memories of feelings ‘making’ you feel bad and then blaming that ‘feels bad’ on the people and things around you. Because you don’t yet know that your memories are the cause of your ‘feels bad’ and not the people in front of you.

8. Now that you know about MOF’S [memories of feelings] YOU CAN DECIDE TO LIVE FROM 100% RESPONSIBILITY This included how you feel, what you do and even what happens to you

9. NOTE RESPONSIBILITY DOES NOT INCLUDE GUILT That is an ego trick to get you to not take responsibility for your life so it can have it

10. COMMITTING TO LIVE FROM 100% RESPONSIBILITY: Means your ego can no longer trick you into believing another is doing something to you Means if you don’t like how you feel you can re-choose and change it

11. i.e. you ask your mate for sex and they say not tonight so you just let it go rather then blame the pain from your expectations on them. THIS IS TRUE POWER OVER YOUR LIFE Because you can simply change your mind and not need sex tonight. It is simple and I did not say easy.

12. Buddha said desire is the root of all suffering Desire is NEEDING some-person-place or thing to make you happy No - thing can make you happy You are doing the choosing here You are deciding what will make you happy So the whole thing they/it can make you happy is a ruse, joke, lie, pretense, ILLUSION

13. 100% responsibility is the ultimate empowerment, self empowerment Total responsibility gives you total control over your life Responsibility gives you power and authority over your life

14. Anything else is a lie You are the ONLY person creating your life Everything you decide to do or not do every minute shapes our life

15. Your life is exactly as it is because you created it that way by your thoughts words, deed, beliefs, and actions.

16. CHOOSING NOT TO CHOOSE IS AN ACTIVE CHOICE BLAME IS AN ACTIVE CHOICE

17. Living at choice and 100% responsibility are almost synonymous here.

18. Living at choice is when you are choosing/deciding to take responsibility for your life, – For consciously choosing what you do/don’t do, have/don’t have – for creating everything that happens and/or happens to you.

19. Coincidence, luck, bad luck, situations and accidents are all created, attracted by your thoughts, words, and actions.

20. This means you need to take at least 50% responsibility for everything that happens (to you) ‏

21. “I don’t know why I created it this way, but I must have because nothing happens by chance/accident” The universe is totally organized and governed by cosmic law and intentions, nothing happens by chance

22. Living at choice is living from the point of view that 1. NOBODY CAN DO ANYTHING TO YOU [EMOTIONS/ FEELINGS]. 2. YOUR CHOICES, THOUGHTS, WORDS, AND ACTIONS TOTALLY CREATE YOUR LIFE.

23. Definition of Responsibility Responsibility starts with the willingness to experience yourself as cause. It starts with the willingness to have the experience of yourself as cause in the matter.

24. Responsibility is not burden, fault, praise, blame, credit, shame, or guilt. All these include judgments and evaluations of good and bad, right and wrong, or better and worse.

25. They are derived from a ground of being in which Self is considered to be a thing or an object rather than a context.

26. Responsibility starts with the willingness to deal with a situation from and with the point of view, WHETHER AT THE MOMENT REALIZED OR NOT, that you are the source of what you are, what you do, and what you have.

27. This point of view extends to include even what is done to you and ultimately what another does to another Ultimately, responsibility is a context- a context of Self as source for the content, i.e., for what is. (C) 1979 by Werner Erhard

28. NOTICE this is very different from the place you have been taught to live from where the world makes you feel bad Takes away your love Takes away your freedoms Makes you do things you don’t want to do.

29. AND Something outside of you seems to be in control of your happiness Or your unhappiness Like when people do not do what you want them to do

30. Blaming others for our unhappiness is not the truth This cripples us and blocks us from seeing that we are creating our own pain.

31. Since we cant see the true source we can EVER fix the real problem SO WE CAN NEVER BE HAPPY

32. Responsibility and choice change all that. Because we stop blaming and accept responsibility for creating our life Now we can change our attitude, thoughts, beliefs or actions that are causing the problem

33. Living at choice and taking responsibility for your life gives you the power an authority to manage your life, consciously Instead of the habitual controlled autopilot of letting the ego manage our lives

34. Lets say you rent a house and it has a yard. If you don’t take responsibility for the yard it becomes an overgrown mass of weeds and junk. But if you choose to take responsibility it can be beautiful

35. It is the same with your life If you do not take responsibility for managing it WHO WILL?

36. RESPONSIBILITY WITHOUT GUILT IS THE KEY THAT RETURNS YOU TO POWER AND AUTHORITY OVER YOUR LIFE

37. NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY IS A CONSCIOUS CHOICE – YOU ARE CHOOSING TO NOT CHOOSE YOU ARE ABANDONING YOUR LIFE TO THE WHIMS OF YOUR EGO AND OTHER PEOPLES EGOS

38. If your life is not exciting Is not full of opportunities Does not have satisfaction And contentment You are living from/in your ego YOU ARE NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE

39. CHOICE LIVING AT CHOICE is from the perspective that you are creating everything in your life, including your body, choosing your parents, your talents, abilities, power to ask for and direct miracles, intuition, deep ability to truly love yourself and others; health, wealth; satisfaction; immortality and a deep, built in oneness with the creator and all that is

40. Living at choice is to decide how you want to be/feel-in the present moment.

41. It doesn't matter how you feel because you feelings are not coming from outside of you. Nobody is doing anything to you

42. How you feel is a result of: – What you are thinking – Memories of feelings – Beliefs and resistance

43. And from conscious responsibility you can change how and what you are thinking, believing, saying. Which will change how you are, how you be, how you feel and even how you look [smile vs. frown/radiant vs. dull].

44. You consciously choose to get out of your head, ego by consciously choosing to let go of any: – Attachments – Expectations – ‘Being right’ – Judging or guilt – Needs, want, or desires

45. You can ‘be right’ about your lack, about your attachments, expectations, desires, etc and be unhappy Or Give them up and be happy

46. Happiness does not come from outside of you No person, place, thing, or situation can make you happy You are the one deciding who or what will make you happy

47. So you can decide that what you have right now, your reality, life ‘as it is’ is ok, perfect for right now. Which will shift you into the present where contentment is the the base line

48. Once you get into the now, you can choose a goal, choose what is next, and start creating it -now -next -soon

49. Or you can believe your ego and ‘be right’ that life sucks and continue to suffer.

50. You can be right or be happy, never both.

51. The source of happiness is 100% responsibility/choice for your entire life. From that empowering perspective you can change your thoughts, change your life, change how you feel, create whatever you want.

52. In order to be happy you must SACRIFICE: –S–Suffering –P–Pain –B–Being right –J–Judging and guilt –V–Victim –c–complaining

53. This is not an easy task because of the deep habits/ruts you have created in your ego mind. But it is simple IT IS DOABLE

54. Beside not living consciously is simply and totally unacceptable. To continue living with pain and suffering is unthinkable.

55. LIVING CONSCIOUSLY LIVING CONSCIOUSLY DETERMINES, CREATES YOUR HAPPINESS, HEALTH, AND WEALTH Therefore it is your primary or FIRST PURPOSE OF LIFE

56. The purpose of life is enlightenment which is to discover your independence and power by dis-identifying with your ego mind and identifying with your spirit or higher self.

57. Physical reality, what you be, do or have is secondary, and everything you be, do or have is defendant on how aware or conscious you are. This is totally backwards to what you have been taught

58. THE INNER CREATES THE OUTER –HERMES

59. WHAT YOUR THINK CREATES PHYSICAL REALITY What you thought, decided before today created the physical reality you experience today. Physical reality is finished, complete, done – it already exists

60. Law of Attraction Law of Attraction The Law of Attraction is basically what you think or intend in you mind draws it to you. This is why positive thinking is so important Also why worry gets you what you don't want.

61. Resisting physical reality is a huge waste of time. Resisting reality is painful and accomplishes nothing, changes nothing

62. Accepting reality as is gets you into the present moment From the present [not the past] you can plan, chose, decide to change what happens next.

63. CHOOSE NOW PLAN NEXT

64. WHAT YOU THINK AND BELIEVE CREATES YOUR LIFE. What you focus your mind or mental energy on creates your life.

65. If you focus it on lack, poverty, pain, judging, etc that is what your life will be about

66. If you focus you mind on positive thoughts, positive solutions, integrity, forgiveness, and patience you will have an abundant, happy, and peaceful life.

67. None of this is easy and it is simple. The positive motivation here is nothing short of FREEDOM from pain and suffering and the ability to create the life you choose when you are super-conscious, in the moment, present now

68. THIS IS LIVING FROM AND WITH AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE

69. Importance of how you feel How you feel is actually based on your ego judging your bodily sensations This concept is based on physical reality controlling you, making you feel bad

70. However, if you are creating your life then you are saying there is something wrong with your choices Your ego does not have anything better to do then judge your sensations

71. But how can this be beneficial or valuable? Judging is a meaningless add on You have to go into your head to judge

72. So what if your don’t like the cold wind on your face? So what if you do not like the loud people at the next table? Judging and then resisting them puts you in you head Cripples you

73. You are no longer at choice No longer in charge No longer taking responsibility And down into your ego you go

74. If you stop judging your body sensations and therefore stop resisting how your feel You can stay in the present moment Living in the present is its own reward

75. You no longer feel bad because you are not in your head It doesn't have anything to do with your bodily sensations IT IS ONLY WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THEM

76. If you accept your bodily sensations as ‘just more sensations’ that is all they are

77. YOU ARE NOT MAKING THEM MEAN ANYTHING So they do not mean anything, they are therefore unimportant

78. Down grade feelings and comfort from being what you are most concerned with. Stop judging sensations, feelings, emotions. Notice and accept …all

79. ACCEPTANCE MAKES LIFE EASIER A LOT EASIER And it make changing what you want to change easier too The secret here is stop resisting and act, be positive, take charge of your life

80. SELF EMPOWERMENT Do you, the real you want to regain power and authority over your life? The absolute truth is that you are an immortal spirit and you have created a body with a mind inside your energy field Then you forgot you did that and identified with what you created.

81. CHOICE WANT TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE? THEN CHANGE YOUR IDENTITY! BY CHANGING WHAT YOU THINK AND HOW YOU THINK

82. CHOICE It all starts with a simple decision I am not my body/mind and I have a body mind.

83. This is my life and I am making all the decisions so I now decide to take 100% responsibility for everything that I feel, say, think, do and intend! Everything that I BE, DO, HAVE, or don’t HAVE, BE OR DON’T DO

84. CHOICE THE ULTIMATE FREEDOM IS : FREEDOM FROM BEING IDENTIFIED WITH YOUR EGO, MIND AND BODY. There is very little proof available to support this point of view in the physical world,

85. CHOICE- This is also the basis of enlightenment An enlightened perspective is when you choose to live from this higher perspective before you become enlightened or before the ‘flash’ of deep, enlightenment

86. Enlightened perspective: commitments 1. To live outside you ego mind to the best of your ability. 2. To never allow you mind to resist what your body is doing, always choose, accept what your body is doing. 3. To always be grateful for being alive regardless of what is going on.

87. 4. 100% responsibility for everything you feel, for your emotions, for what you have or don’t have, for your entire life – all without guilt or judging.

88. 5. To always have compassion, acceptance, forgiveness, patience and unconditional love for yourself (first) and others. Deep compassion for yourself is required to switch from an ego dominated life to being consciously aware and living in the present.

89. 7. You must consciously manage your mind or it will unconsciously manage you. You must demand of yourself patience, no complaining, non- judgmental, totally acceptance of reality and yourself, and a gratefulness to be alive.

90. 8. TO ONLY ALLOW POSITIVE THOUGHTS. Yes this means you literally have to stop and change all the negative thoughts you hear inside your head into positive thoughts.

91. TO TRAIN YOURSELF TO ONLY THINK IN TERMS OF POSITIVE SOLUTIONS This is about creating a positive solution and plan for every situation in your life. Stood up for Lunch story story restaurantstory restaurant [this is a link to document titled story restaurant in the cdlinks folder]

92. CHOICE LIVING AT CHOICE is from the perspective that you are creating everything in your life, including your body, choosing your parents, your talents, abilities, power to ask for and direct miracles, intuition, deep ability to truly love yourself and others; health, wealth; satisfaction; immortality and a deep built in oneness with the creator and all that is.

93. "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.

94. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves, too.

95. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. The whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:

96. 'Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.'" (from W.H. Murray, "The Scottish Himalayan Expedition") ‏

97. End